Tsantefski Menka, Briggs Lynne, Griffiths Jessica, Tidyman Anne
School of Human Services and Social Work, Griffith University, Southport, Queensland, Australia.
Odyssey House Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Health Soc Care Community. 2017 May;25(3):1247-1256. doi: 10.1111/hsc.12427. Epub 2017 Feb 1.
Children exposed to problematic parental substance use (PPSU) often face a number of deleterious developmental outcomes, yet these children are less likely to become known to child protection and welfare services. Although there is a growing evidence base for equine-assisted therapy (EAT) as an effective treatment modality for atypically developing children and adolescents, scant research has explored the benefit of EAT for children exposed to PPSU. The current study is the first to explore the benefit of EAT for children exposed to PPSU in Victoria, Australia. Five 12-week EAT programmes were delivered from 2012 to 2015 with a total of 41 children (mean age of 10.26 years) taking part. Children's parents (n = 41) and schoolteachers (n = 31) completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire pre- and post-intervention. Parents reported that children's total difficult behaviour and emotional problems decreased following the 12-week EAT programme. In addition, parents and teachers observed a significant decrease in children's hyperactivity. The findings obtained highlight the benefit of EAT for children exposed to PPSU and thus, extends the existing evidence base for this treatment modality.
接触到父母物质使用问题（PPSU）的儿童往往面临许多有害的发育后果，但这些儿童被儿童保护和福利服务机构知晓的可能性较小。尽管越来越多的证据表明，马术辅助疗法（EAT）是治疗非典型发育儿童和青少年的一种有效治疗方式，但很少有研究探讨EAT对接触PPSU的儿童的益处。本研究是首次探索EAT对澳大利亚维多利亚州接触PPSU的儿童的益处。从2012年到2015年开展了五个为期12周的EAT项目，共有41名儿童（平均年龄10.26岁）参与。儿童的父母（n = 41）和学校教师（n = 31）在干预前后完成了优势与困难问卷。家长报告说，在为期12周的EAT项目结束后，儿童的总体困难行为和情绪问题有所减少。此外，家长和教师观察到儿童的多动行为显著减少。研究结果突出了EAT对接触PPSU的儿童的益处，从而扩展了这种治疗方式的现有证据基础。
